CBP Agents Shoot, Kill Carjacking Suspect at Border

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A high-speed pursuit involving a carjacking suspect ended at San Diego’s Otay Mesa border crossing Saturday with three U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents shooting and killing the suspect, according to authorities.

The pursuit began around 9:55 a.m. on Interstate 15 in Riverside County with California Highway Patrol officers chasing a carjacking suspect driving a Chevy Impala, according to Lt. Lee Norton, acting lieutenant with the San Diego Police Department Homicide Unit.

CBP Agents Shoot, Kill Carjacking Suspect at Border

Authorities are investigating a high speed chase that shut down part of the Otay Mesa border crossing on Saturday. (Published Sunday, Oct 20, 2013)

CHP officers followed the suspect vehicle all the way to the U.S.-Mexico border crossing in Otay Mesa, Lt. Norton said.

During the high-speed pursuit, the carjacking suspect was seen weaving in and out of traffic. At one point, the chase reached speeds of approximately 120 mph.

At about 10:25 a.m., CHP officials said the suspect was traveling on southbound Interstate 5 near State Route 54. The suspect then drove onto State Route 905 towards Otay Mesa's U.S.-Mexico border crossing.

According to Lt. Norton, CHP officers no longer pursued the car once it went through the last U.S. exit. From there, the suspect reportedly drove on to the border crossing, stopped and then started backing up and began moving forward again.

Feeling threatened, Lt. Norton said three U.S. CBP agents at the crossing fired on the suspect vehicle, killing the man behind the wheel. The man died at the scene, officials confirmed.

With those shots fired at around10:35 a.m., CHP officials said the chase was over. The suspect’s car came to a stop near Siempre Viva Road and SR-905 (see map below).

Lt. Norton said the carjacking, pursuit and officer-involved shooting is under investigation. He could not say whether the suspect was armed. The suspect was riding alone in the car and has not yet been identified, Lt. Norton added.

After the chase ended, the San Diego County Medical Examiner removed the body from the scene and began working on identifying the man.

The chase prompted Caltrans to shut down southbound SR-905 at Siempre Viva Road for the investigation around 10:50 a.m. Officers from the San Diego Police Department were also on scene.

The southbound border crossing from Otay Mesa into Mexico was also temporarily shut down by authorities. This included the pedestrian crossing into Mexico.

U.S. CBP Director of Field Operations Pete Flores said the closures impacted southbound traffic traveling into Mexico, but not northbound traffic traveling into the U.S. from Mexico.

Flores could provide little information, at this point, on the CBP agents involved in the shooting. However, he did say they were all doing fine and were uninjured.